


The FBI's Most Unwanted

by IllegalCerebral



Series: The FBI's Most Unwanted [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), The X-Files
Genre: Abduction, Alien Abduction, Aliens, Alternate Universe, Conspiracy Theories, F/M, Government Conspiracy, Nothing happens yet, Partners to Lovers, Slow Burn, but it will, x files au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-19 22:36:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16543616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IllegalCerebral/pseuds/IllegalCerebral
Summary: Elle "Spooky" Greenaway has a reputation in the Bureau for her interest in the paranormal and her wild theories. The brass send Spencer Reid to keep an eye on her and cast his rational eye over her bizarre X Files cases. They need to put aside their differences to investigate a series of abductions and murders were the victims all end up in the local woods.Criminal Minds characters in the world of The X Files





	1. Chapter 1

Spencer wasn’t used to the FBI Headquarters, he felt much more at home in Quantico. The J. Edgar Hoover building was somewhat intimidating, filled with agents with their heads down, shoving past each other.  Spencer pressed through the crowds, turning corners and running up and down stairs until he found himself outside SSA Hotchner’s office.

He took a deep breath to steady himself then knocked. The invitation to enter was curt but Spencer didn’t expect any different. He had met the man a few times and he had a reputation for stoicism.

“Dr Reid take a seat” Hotchner motioned to the empty chair opposite. It was only as he was sitting down that Spencer noticed the other man in the office. He was older than Hotchner, with greying hair and his mouth set into a grim line. Most notable of all was the fact that he was lacking a suit and that he was slowly rolling a satsuma between his palms as he watched Spencer intently. Spencer turned back to Agent Hotchner, trying not to shiver.

“Thank you for coming at such short notice” Agent Hotchner continued, “Agent Strauss at the academy speaks very highly of you and your work. You’ve been out of the field for a few years now correct?”

“Yes sir” said Spencer “I’ve teaching at the agency.” It was good work and far more suitable for him than field work if he was being brutally honest.

“You enjoy this?” Hotchner spoke. Before Spencer could answer the other man interrupted them.

 **“** Are you familiar with an agent named Elle Greenaway?”

 **“** Yes, I am” replied Spencer. Hotchner looked between him and the other man. His face remained blank but there was flash of something behind the eyes that was gone before Spencer could decipher it.

 **“** How so?” the man asked.

 **“** By reputation,” answered Spencer. He was starting to feel like he was in the middle of an ambush “Um... She's an Oxford-educated psychologist who wrote a monograph on serial killers and the occult that helped catch Randal Garner in 2006. Generally thought of as the best analyst in the Violent Crime section, she also worked extensively in Sex Crimes and I believe she did some consulting for the BAU before I arrived. She had a nickname at the Academy..."Spooky" Greenaway” Spencer laughed but the two other men remained silent. He shifted awkwardly in his seat. “Can I ask what this is concerning please sir?”

“Agent Greenaway has become focuseed on an FBI project known as the X-Files. Do you know what that is?”

“Um, I know it’s concerned with unexplained phenomena”

“We would like you to accompany Agent Greenaway in the field, if you find it agreeable” said Agent Hotchner, “Her work often strays into specialist territory, and we believe it would be useful to have someone with such a diverse skill set as yourself working with her. Your scientific background would be key to countering some of the more…fantastical methods that Agent Greenaway employs. Your scientific background would be useful.”

Spencer frowned. His gut told him this was an order not an offer but there was something unsavoury about what he was being told to do. It felt like spying. He only knew Greenaway by reputation but that reputation often raised eyebrows and prompted derision from others in the bureau. Spooky Greenaway rambling on about aliens and fairies and psychic phenomena was something of a joke and the only reason she was still in the FBI was because she was, in some way, undoubtedly brilliant. Even her harshest critics admitted that her work on the Garner case was flawless.

 **“** Am I to understand that you want me to debunk the X Files project, sir?” asked Spencer. The tension was thick in the air.

 **“** Dr Reid, we trust you'll make the proper scientific analysis,” Hotchner said in a clipped voice, indicating the meeting was now over.

*

The X Files was located in the basement because of course it was. Where else would you stick all the cases the bureau wanted to forget about and the only person crazy enough to want to investigate? For the second time that day Spencer braced himself before knocking on the door.

 **“** Sorry, nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted” a voice called back. Trying hard not to roll his eyes, Spencer entered the office. Office was a generous term, it looked like store room someone had shoved a desk in. There were shelves piled with books, a row of old and dented filing cabinets, and every available surface was covered in papers, files, knick-knacks, and boxes. On a small table a projector was set up and surrounded by boxes of slides and on the far wall hung a poster of a UFO with the words “I Want To Believe”. 

Elle Greenaway fixed him with a sceptical look that Spencer did his best to match. He wasn’t sure what he had expected but this wasn’t it. She was pretty (to be honest she was stunning) with a shoulder grazing bob and bright, inquisitive eyes.

 **“** Agent Greenaway? I'm Spencer Reid. I've been assigned to work with you” Spencer gave a small, awkward wave in lieu of a handshake. Elle swept her gaze slowly up and down him before wandering over to her projector.

 **“** Oh, isn't it nice to be suddenly so highly regarded. So, who did you tick off to get stuck with this detail, Reid?”

There was something overly casual about her demeanour, another thing Spencer hadn’t expected. He squared his shoulders and moved closer.

 **“** Actually, I'm looking forward to working with you. I've heard a lot about you”

 **“** Oh, really?” Elle snorted “I was under the impression that you were sent to spy on me”

Before Spencer could respond Elle had switched off the lights and the projector had hummed to life. A crime scene photo was thrown across the wall. A young woman was lying dead on the ground what looked to be a forest. Her eyes were wide open and if Spencer didn’t know better he’d say she was terrified.

“This is Maggie Lowe,” said Elle “She went missing from her parents’ home in the small town of Bellflower on Friday night and she was found by a dog walker at 7am on the Saturday morning”

“COD?” asked Spencer, slipping on his glasses and moving closer.

“Unsure, waiting on the ME results” said Elle “Maggie is the fourth victim. Eight months ago Karen Foley went missing from her bed one night and was found the next day in the woods. Last year Cory Bridges went to a party but left early, next morning same deal and six months before that Heather Woodland disappeared from her room and, drumroll please, was found dead in the woods the next morning. COD was different in each case: exposure, cardiac arrest with no obvious cause etc. All kids were around the same age, just out of high school, no health problems, they were all young and fit”

“Do you have a theory?” asked Spencer. Elle folded her arms like she was preparing to stand her ground.

“I have plenty of theories”

Elle clicked to the next slide, which showed a close up of Maggie Lowe’s back and two small raised marks.

“There’s no mentionin the other victims’ ME reports of this but they don’t appear to be mosquito bites” explained Elle

“They look kind of like needle marks” said Spencer “But they’re bigger than any I’ve seen before”

“So all those PhDs will come in useful” she quipped, a smile tugging at her lips “I read your thesis. I enjoyed it by the way, it’s not everyone who tries to re-write Einstein”

A wave of pride surged through Spencer before he forced himself to turn his attention back to the crime scene photo. Elle clicked through more slides of the scene. Nothing else seemed out of place.

“Clearly there’s a serial offender at work” said Spencer “But there’s no obvious motive from the crime scene. I’d buy one kid dying from a heart attack but not four so there must be some external cause”

“Impressive” said Elle “Our plane leaves first thing the morning. Get a good night’s sleep”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle and Spencer head to Bellflower, Oregon and are greeted with suspicion by the locals

The flight to Oregon was mostly uneventful aside from the bursts of turbulence that rocked the aircraft. Spencer gripped the arms of seat with his eyes screwed shut as the plane lurched up and down. Elle looked at him, a small smile on her face. He hadn’t really been what she had been expecting when someone upstairs had given her the heads up that they were sending another agent t to keep an eye on her. For one thing he was far younger than Elle expected, secondly he dressed in Grandpa sweaters and vests that gave the impression of a kid raiding his dad’s closet. Elle wasn’t going to underestimate him though. There was a reason the academy had made exceptions for his poor physical performance on tests. Spencer Reid was brilliant and the last thing Elle needed was someone thwarting her work.

Spencer went through the files on the drive from the airport to Bellflower, occasionally asking questions about the ME, the kid’s social media, and local history to contextualise the case.

“Bellflower hasn’t experienced any violent crime apart from these killings, in about fifty years” explained Elle “After the second murder the Sheriff requested the Bureau’s help.”

“What did they find?” asked Spencer.

“Nada” said Elle “They came, spoke to a few of the locals and when there was no easy answer they shoved the case in a box and classified it as an X-file where I found it. When I heard about Maggie Lowe I-“

Elle was stopped by the radio suddenly turning to static and growing louder and louder. Spencer fiddled with the dials to no avail. Elle kept driving and suddenly the sound cut out, leaving an almost eerie silence in its wake.

“Huh” Elle stopped the car and hopped out. Spencer scrambled after her, watching in confusion as she pulled a can of spray paint from the trunk of the car and painted a huge, red X on the road behind them.

“What the hell was that about? “ asked Spencer when they were back in the car

“Oh, you know, probably nothing” answered Elle with a smirk.

*

The locals made it clear they were not at all pleased to have the FBI wading into a personal tragedy.

“We’re here to help” Elle told the Sheriff, a gruff, stocky man with a permanent scowl on his jowly face.

“I knew these kids” Sheriff Archer said, “I know their families. These people have been through enough”

“We’re here to help you get closure and to stop anyone else from going through what they did,” said Spencer. Elle looked at him, surprise crossing her face for the briefest moment.

“Agent Reid is right,” said Elle “We’re not here to impede your investigation. We just want the truth. I think you do too”. Sheriff Archer nodded though he didn’t look like he quite believed them.

“I’d like to examine the body” said Spencer “And I noticed that the first three autopsies were done by a Dr Sarah Harris but she didn’t do the latest?”  
“Dr Harris was away visiting with her son this weekend so a different ME stepped in” Sheriff Archer shifted his weight slightly. Elle raised an eyebrow.

“And this was the only examination that picked up the marks on the victim’s back” said Elle “We have ordered an exhumation of the other three bodies too check whether they have the same marks and they were missed” Elle didn’t wait for an answer, she just turned on her heel leaving Spencer to scurry after her.

“That isn’t going to help us here” Spencer mumbled. All around them the local officers were fixing them with stares that ranged from put out to downright threatening.

“The only thing I’m interested in is the truth,” retorted Elle.

*

Spencer stared down at the bones that used to be Karen Foley in complete disbelief. Karen had gone to bed and when her mother had gone to wake her up for choir practice before school the bed had been empty. Her body had been found later that day in the woods. COD had been exposure but on the night she’d died it had been mid-July and she could only have been missing six hours, nowhere near enough time to die of exposure in those conditions. The crime scene photos showed no obvious COD, same as Maggie Lowe but they hadn’t checked her back. Spencer had watched as Karen’s clothes were cut away to reveal two small bumps, blackened but in the exact same position as Maggie’s. That however, was the only normal thing about the examination.

The one thing that Spencer was sure of was that these bones weren’t human. The forearms were twice the length they should be and the skull was misshapen, the eye sockets in particular were far too large, the jaw too narrow.

“Theories?” Elle asked smugly. Spencer shook his head.

“Someone swapped the body and replaced it with animal bones. Could be a primate of some sort. My first guess would be an orang-utan”

“Seriously? That’s your theory” Elle scoffed “This body has the exact same marks as Maggie Lowe. How could the ME have missed this? Why would someone swap the bones and then add the same marks? Is there a reason Dr Harris would keep this out of the report deliberately? Why would someone swap the bones in the first place?”

“These can’t be Karen Foley’s bones”

“They can be if she underwent some kind of biological procedure to change her physiology” said Elle.

“Elle there is no procedure on earth that can alter a human body this way”

“Exactly” said Elle, arms folded in triumph.

“So you’re theory is Karen Foley was what? Abducted by little green men who experimented on her?”

“They aren’t green. They’re grey,” said Elle. Spencer gaped at her.

“Oh my god you’re serious” he laughed, “You’re actually serious. Elle you have no evidence to back this up”

“Take a DNA sample. Take samples from the body and the coffin and run a full tox screen” said Elle “Not just from Karen Foley but Maggie Lowe too plus the two other victims. That’s my evidence.” Elle headed out of the cramped room, the smell of formaldehyde and the fluorescent lighting were making her head throb. Outside the bright sun did little to ease her pain.

“Elle” Spencer appeared behind her  “I agree something strange is going on here. There was a lot of things that Dr Harris left out of Karen Foley’s ME report and the Sheriff seems resistant to us being here but I can’t believe this is the work of aliens”

“Believe what you want” shrugged Elle “I’m going into those woods to examine the crime scene”

“Elle it’s going to be dark in a few hours!” protested Spencer.

“Less chance of being disturbed” said Elle “They don’t want us here Reid. They are willing to let these four kids’ deaths go unsolved to keep a secret. You at least believe that right?”

“I don’t know what I believe,” sighed Spencer “But I know that we need to find out what those kids were doing in the woods. It’s the one thing that connects them all”

Elle looked at him sceptically for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what his game was but not being able to work him out.

“Okay” he sighed eventually “Let’ go, I’m driving”

*

It was dark by the time they got to the woods. Police tape hung limply around the thick trees and Spencer couldn’t suppress a shiver. If Elle noticed she didn’t acknowledge it, she just strode confidently forth with torch in hand. There was no path, just a dirt track that wound round the trees. It felt increasingly claustrophobic to Spencer as they headed further and further in. Each crack of a branch or hoot of a bird set him on edge and he hated feeling foolish or vulnerable, especially next to Elle.

“There’s a strange substance on the ground,” said Spencer. He swept his torch along the forest floor, picking up a thick layer of what looked almost like ash.

“Do you have a sample bag?” Elle asked. Spencer looked up but his eyes struggled to adjust.

“Um, yeah…hold on a sec” Spencer groped about for his messenger bag and awkwardly scooped piles of the dirt into a sample bag. “Got it!” he said triumphantly but Elle was nowhere to be seen.

The path ahead swept downwards into a gully and then lurched upward again over a hill. Spencer stumbled forwards, calling out Elle’s name. All around him the forest was black and stretched on forever. Panic was starting to set in.

“Elle! Elle where are you?” he shouted. At that same moment his torch suddenly died and without what little light it had been emitting to comfort him, a cold wave of fear swept of Spencer. He whirled about, trying to make out any shapes or marker on the landscape but it was all void.

Then, just above him, Spencer spotted a hazy white light breaking through the trees on the hills ahead. A soft humming built up around him with no discernable source. The humming grew louder as the light got brighter. Spencer’s eyes stung from the harshness but he couldn’t look away. A figure emerged at the top of the hill but Spencer couldn’t make out anything beyond the outline of their body.

“Elle?” he called but he knew it wasn’t.

The figure didn’t move and the humming grew louder.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something strange is going on in the woods

For a moment Spencer just stared at the figure silhouetted against the bright white light. A tiny voice at the back of his head whispered that perhaps Elle had been right all along.

“This is a crime scene,” the figure bellowed. His voice was familiar but Spencer couldn’t place it. It definitely wasn’t an alien though. He fumbled for his FBI badge.

“I’m a federal agent, I’m investigating a crime, I-“

“This is private property” the man interrupted “You need to leave or-“

“Sheriff!” Elle emerged from the darkness behind Spencer, her hand on her gun “Sheriff we’re looking for evidence in the murder case” Elle explained patiently “If you’re impeding our-”

Sheriff Archer stomped down from the hill and with each footstep Spencer felt his embarrassment grow. They’d set up a base at the crime scene, the light were the big industrial lamps they’d bought in. Spencer knew they could be noisy but in the darkness of the forest he had felt….

“I don’t care why you’re here,” snapped Sheriff Archer “Like I said this is private property. You both need to leave now or I’m going to arrest you”

“Sheriff-“ Elle started but Spencer put a hand gently on her arm. Elle and Sheriff Archer glared at each other for a moment before Elle stalked away. The Sheriff let out a sigh that only Spencer caught but he straightened himself immediately.

“We’ll talk about this in the morning at the station” said Spencer. It earned him a look from Archer “We have four dead kids here Sheriff” Spencer added gently “And that makes me wonder why you won’t accept our help” 

*

“You okay?” Elle asked on the drive back to the motel.

“I’m confused” Spencer admitted “The Sheriff is hiding something but I don’t know what”

“I had the Bureau run a background check” said Elle, ignoring Spencer’s look or surprise “Sheriff Archer has a daughter the same age as the other victims. They all went to school together. I’m thinking that might have something to do with it” Elle glanced at the clock on the dashboard. 9.03pm. God she needed a hot shower and an early night.

“We should look into that” nodded Spencer “See if there are any other connections and I want to go back out to the forest. That’s what links everything together”

The car lurched to a halt suddenly and Spencer felt a pressure build up in his ears he turned to Elle to say something but the words wouldn’t come out. And then there was…something. It was a like a shift in the air or a flash of lightning with no light or…or…or…

“What happened?” he asked Elle shakily. She was checking the car with a manic look on her face. With the biggest grin Spencer had ever seen she darted out of the car and made her way around the vehicle. It was raining. Had it been raining before? Spencer couldn’t remember. Elle jogged around the car a few times, laughing wildly. Hesitantly Spencer joined her in the rain, praying for an explanation.

“We lost power” laughed Elle “Brakes, steering, everything!” Elle checked her watch “We lost nine minutes!” This was it; this was what she’d been waiting her whole life for.

“What do you mean we lost time?” Spencer frowned. He checked his own watch, 9.12pm

“It was 9.03 when the car stopped” said Elle triumphantly “I looked at the clock before it happened. We lost nine whole minutes! Alien abductees often report losing time during their experiences. Just like we did just then”

“You're saying that time disappeared. Time can't just disappear. It's a universal invariant!” protested Spencer. The engine of the car roared into life, the lights coming on suddenly, making them both jump.

“Not in this zip code!” said Elle. She pointed to the road in front of them. There was a red, spray painted X on the road. Exactly where Elle had painted it when they arrived. Something twisted inside Spencer, his mind scrambled to unknot whatever this was but he couldn’t get a hold of it. That frightened him more than anything.

“We weren’t abducted though,” said Spencer, clambering back in the car “You said abductees report time loss”

“Well something must have happened to those nine minutes”

*

The ride back to the motel was completely silent. Spencer just stared dead ahead at the road. He was reciting physics formulas in his head, anything to drown out the slippery, unwieldy questions that were threatening his brain. Elle looked at him in concern, her own elation from the incident quickly dying. She was struck by the overwhelming urge to ask if he was okay but her gut told her that it was the last thing she should ask.

He quietly bid her goodnight when they reached the motel and they headed to their separate rooms. Elle was far too buzzed to sleep so after her shower she began going through the case files and when that didn’t yield anything she turned her attention to her personal files she carried everywhere. They were filled with newspaper clipping, military reports, blog posts and anything and everything she could get her hands on regarding alien abductions. Elle went through every piece she had looking for references to time loss.

A hurried knock on the door interrupted her work. Spencer stood on her doorstep, nervously rocking on the balls of his feet. Before Elle could ask what was wrong he blurted out.

“I need you to look at something for me”

“Okay”

Spencer stepped in and pulled up his shirt at the back.

“What are they?” he asked in a panicked voice. Elle ran her fingertips over the small bumps just to the left of his spine.

“Mosquito bites” she said with a smile “I gotten bitten up pretty bad when I was out there too”.

“Oh thank God” Spencer sank down on the bed, the colour coming back to his cheeks. Elle settled down next to him.

“I know this must be hard for you” she said gently “The bureau’s golden boy sent to work with Spooky Greenaway and her mad ideas about the paranormal”

“No” Spencer said quickly as he wrung his hands together “It isn’t that…it’s just…I don’t…I don’t like not being able to trust my own mind” Spencer didn’t look up at Elle and she studied the almost painful look on his face.

“I know” she said softly “It’s frightening to consider that there are things out there we can’t even begin to explain but honestly I think it’s more frightening that we can explain them but the answers are being hidden from us”

“What makes you do this work?” asked Spencer. Elle sighed. She sat back on the bed, making herself comfortable.

“My father. When I was ten we were in the backyard and he was trying to teach me to ride my bake. It was getting late and he wanted to go in but I was determined to keep trying. Then there was this…light and I couldn’t move and it so was so loud. I felt this presence and then suddenly my father was gone. He was taken and I need to know why”

“I’m so sorry,” said Spencer.

“It tore our family apart” said Elle “And I have been trying to work out what happened ever since. This is the closest I have ever gotten Spencer and the Sheriff and god knows who else is trying to stop us from getting the truth”

“How?”

“There's classified government information I've been trying to access, but someone has been blocking my attempts to get at it.” Elle pulled at the loose threads on the bedspread, the bitterness in her voice palpable. Spencer frowned.

“Who? I don't understand” Elle shot him a look, pausing in her movements

“Someone at a higher level of power...”she said slowly. Despite the impromptu bonding session, she wasn’t about to spill all her secrets at once.

“And they're afraid of what, that you'll leak this information?” Spencer shifted his weight on the bed. Elle searched his face for any hint of dishonesty.

“You're a part of that agenda, you know that.”

“I'm not a part of any agenda. You've got to trust me. I'm here, just like you, to solve this.” It felt genuine, Elle’s gut screamed at her to believe him but that meant nothing. Even if Spencer wasn’t here to deliberately thwart her he had still been sent here but the higher ups, people who would o anything to stop Elle.

“Thank you” was all she said. Spencer nodded. He thanked her for checking out the mosquito bites and headed back to his own room, probably to compile another report for Agent Hotchner. Elle sighed and settled down to try and get some sleep, her files still scattered about the room.

Suddenly the phone rang and Elle jolted from her half sleep.

“Greenaway” she mumbled once she’d found the handset on the nightstand. There was a pause and then a girl’s voice spoke faintly.

“There’s another one. She’s out by the edge of the woods”

The line went dead as Elle’s heart began to hammer. She dove out of bed, hastily dressing before running next door to wake Spencer. He came to the door frowning.

“Did you get a call from the ME too?”

“What? No I got a call from some girl, saying “There’s another one”. Why did Dr Harris call you?”

“Because there’s another body” Spencer said, baffled “But it was the other ME this time. Apparently Harris called in sick. He said a girl was found-“

“At the edge of the woods. She tried to escape but didn’t make it” said Elle “C’mon, let’s go”

“Elle what is going on?”

“It’s an abduction” said Elle “Something is abducting these kids”

She ran off towards the car before Spencer could question her more.

*

Marcia Gordon was in the same graduating class as the rest of the victims. A driver had hit her when she was running out of the woods, it had been too dark for him to stop in time and she had slammed into the hood. No one had been able to get hold of the Sheriff so a Deputy Martin had taken over. The rain had been so heavy that there was no hope of any evidence remaining so all that could be done was examine her body. Spencer insisted on watching the whole thing while Elle yelled at the deputy. Throat raw and skin tingling, she made her way to the morgue to see what Spencer had found. He was looking downright disturbed.

“Same marks on her back” said Spencer “Injuries consistent with a car accident and…”

“And what?” demanded Elle.

Spencer hesitated.

“And what?”

“And her watch was broken in the crash. It stopped just after nine”

“Abduction” said Elle, “It has to be. The forest is calling those kids to be taken by some kind of extra-terrestrial. The marks are from a test or an examination or-“

“You have no proof of this Elle!” said Spencer, throwing his hands up “It’s nearly 3am, we should get back to the motel and get some sleep”

“Are you denying there’s a link to the woods?”

“No but-“  
  
“All the victims were in the same graduating class right?”

“Yes”

“The Sheriff and the ME are actively trying to thwart our investigation”

Spencer rolled his eyes.

“I mean…as reluctant as I am to admit it…”

“That’s a yes,” said Elle “They know who’s doing this and I’m going to find out why”

Not waiting for Spencer to answer, she turned on her heel and left.

“I guess I’m going to have to get used to that” Spencer sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle and Spencer interview two persons of interest but something terrible is on the horizon

“Check this out” Elle didn’t bother knocking and she stepped into Spencer’s motel room the next morning. Thankfully he had finished dressing but some warning would have been nice.

“What is it?”

“I just got off the phone with Anderson at the Bureau. I had him look into Sheriff Archer and his daughter”

“And?”

“Lila Archer was in the same grade as the other victims and it turns out they knew each other. They shared classes, were in the same study groups, and Lila was on the softball team with Karen Foley. They all graduated together and the night of their graduation Lila was involved in a car accident. Guess who the other passenger was?”

“One of the other victims?”

“Close but no. Lila was driving with a kid named Nathan Harris” Elle’s eyes almost glittered. Spencer frowned and then it hit him.

“Wait, like the ME?”

“Yup. Nathan Harris is the only son of Dr Sarah Harris. Small world.”

“How bad was the accident?”

“Really bad. Lila was paralysed and Nathan has been in a coma ever since. Reports say they were driving back from a gathering to celebrate graduation with their friends. I would bet anything the other four victims were at that party too”

“So that’s the connection” said Spencer “By why murder these kids?”

“No idea. Wanna come with me and ask Lila Archer?”

*

Spencer paused at the entrance to the hospital.  He bit his lip and tried to will his feet forward.

“You okay?” Elle asked. Her brow was furrowed in concern. Spencer plastered a big fake smile on his face and nodded. In hindsight he was probably over selling it but the fluttering of his heart felt like trapped bird. Even outside the unmistakable hospital smell was permeating the air.

“Let’s go”

Lila Archer and Nathan Harris had rooms side by side but they found Lila sitting by Nathan’s bed reading to him. She was pretty, Spencer noticed, with a dreamy look in her eyes as she read in a singsong voice from _Alice in Wonderland_.

“Lila?” Elle knocked on the door softly. She paused and looked up at them.

“I can’t talk. Nathan wants me to read to him”

“Lila we're from the FBI. We need to talk to you”

Lila’s gaze sharpened as she looked from Elle to Spencer.

“What do you want?” she asked warily. Elle took a seat next to her as Spencer hovered behind.

“We want to know about the night of your high school graduation,” said Elle.

“I don’t want to talk about the accident”

“Neither do I” said Elle “I want to talk about the party. You were on the softball team with Karen Foley right?”

“Yeah Karen was nice” said Lila, the dreamy quality inching into her voice again.

“Was she at the party?”

“Yeah” Lila said. Her gaze drifted to the other side of the room. Spencer looked over, wondering if a nurse had entered but it was empty. He shivered and looked away as fast as he could. His gaze fell on the foot of Nathan’s bed and a dark smudge peeping out form behind the covers. Slowly, so as not to distract Lila from Elle’s questions, he pulled an evidence bag from his pocket and he scrapped a little of the substance in.

“How about Maggie Lowe?” asked Elle. Lila looked back at her with a small frown. She was fiddling with the front of her hospital gown, scrunching up the material and letting it fall down.

“Maggie Lowe?” she repeated “From history class? I…yeah…she was there”

“Okay good” Elle smiled kindly “Did anything happen at the party? Anything out of the ordinary I mean?”

“Heather brought liquor,” whispered Lila “She stole it from her Dad. We passed it round” Elle glanced up at Spencer before looking back at Lila. It was taking every ounce of strength not get frustrated. Elle was so close she could taste it.

“No I mean something strange or inexplicable. Was there a stranger there? Someone who made you feel unsafe? Did you lose time or see a light in the sky?” said Elle “Lila this is important. We think someone is hurting the people who were at that party”

“No, no, no, no, no” Lila began to shout, her fists waving angrily in the air “No, no, no!”

“Lila we just want to help I promise!” said Elle as the nurse raced in.

“You two need to leave now,” she snapped. The woman jabbed a sedative in Lila’s arm and the girl howled in pain.

“A few more questions, please!”

“Elle I think-“

“The nurse is right” came a voice. Turning around they came face to face with Dr Harris and Sheriff Archer, eyes blazing “You need to leave, you’re distressing Lila” Dr Harris continued.

“Are you her doctor?” challenged Elle “Seems like a conflict of interest there considering she was injured in the same accident as your son” Lila had gone quiet, slumped over in the chair as the nurse wheeled her back to bed.

“What are you implying?”

“We aren’t implying anything,” said Spencer

“We’re stating facts,” said Elle “Your son is in a coma as a result of a car accident he got in driving back from a party in the woods. The same woods where we keep finding the dead bodies of other kids who were at that party. The woods where we ran into the good Sheriff last night by the way”

Sheriff Archer bristled under Elle’s stare but she didn’t budge an inch.

“If you are attempting to cover up a crime then I will make sure that both of you are locked up for a very, very long time” Elle declared before striding out of the office with Spencer.

“I saw the evidence bag” she said when they were in the parking lot.

“It looks like the same substance from the woods” said Spencer “But it was on Nathan Harris’ sheets” Elle paused for a moment, the cogs in her brain going full speed.

“Okay…yeah that makes sense”

“It does?”

“Yeah. Someone is clearly taking those kids back to the woods where they were celebrating that night for some reason”

“It has significance” nodded Spencer “So does that night. It’s the time and place that links them all but who is taking them there? The Sheriff? Doctor Harris?”

“Nathan Harris” said Elle “That’s where the substance from the sheets is from, he’s taking them to the woods”

“Nathan Harris? The vegetable? Elle you can’t be serious,” sighed Spencer “He’s in a coma”

“I’ve seen cases where people are controlled” said Elle “They move and act independently of their own will”

“Sounds like a defence lawyer’s dream” said Spencer

“Are you with me on this or not?” said Elle “Reid…as much as I hate to say it I’m on my own here. I have no support from the bureau, the locals aren’t helping and kids are dropping like flies. I need someone I can trust”

Spencer looked at her, the desperation and determination in her eyes.

“We take this bag to the lab and test it” he said finally “If it’s a match then we have proof”

“What are we waiting for?”

*

“No” Elle’s voice was barely a whisper when they turned round a corner and came face to face with the lab engulfed in an inferno. Spencer had barely stopped the car when she charged out, running head long into a fire fighter.

“What happened?”  
“Not sure, possibly a faulty gas pipe” he shrugged “Everything’s gone”

Elle let out a scream like a wild animal, slamming her fist into the hood of the car. Spencer got out. He wanted to put a hand on her shoulder but thought better of it. The heat from the fire was intense and with a sick feeling in his gut he realised that the bones would be ash before the fire was put out, along with the x-rays and the samples from the woods. All their proof was literally up in flames.

“This wasn’t an accident,” he said softly. Elle straightened, slowly like a marionette pulled by its strings. It was stating the obvious but the fact that he said it out loud, that he believed it, meant so much to Elle in that moment.

“They’re going to get away with it Spencer” she said with a crack in her voice “There’s nothing we can do”

“I’ll send this sample to Quantico’s lab” said Spencer “In secret. We can’t match it to anything but we could break it down, see what it’s made of. It may give us something. That’s better than nothing right?”

“But it won’t be enough proof!”

“It’s a start” said Spencer “And we’ll get more”

“Can we even trust anyone at Quantico?”

“I trust Anderson” Spencer reassured her.

It took a few hours for the fire to be put out. The smoke lingered in the air but Elle had refused to leave, desperate for some fragment to have survived. There was no hope, everything was dust.

“We should go back to the motel,” said Spencer softly. He pulled off his coat and draped it around Elle’s small frame. She nodded but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the smoking remains of the lab, even as Spencer’s phone buzzed. Elle didn’t pay attention to the conversation until his shriek of alarm made her jump.

“Lila Archer and Nathan Harris are missing,” said Spencer “The nurse went to check on them and they’re gone”

It had gotten dark, Elle realised, and there was a chill in the air.

“We need to get to the forest”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For various reasons I've combined character roles and rearranged the order that things happen here compared to the original X Files episode.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle and Spencer head to the woods for a final confrontation

“How did this happen?" Spencer asked for what must have been the thousandth time. Elle had stopped answering a long time ago, all her attention instead focused on the winding road to the forest. It was poorly lit and full of sharp turns so the drive there was an exercise in balancing speed and precision. Every moment they delayed was a moment closer to one or both of those kids being in danger.

“Could you slow d-”

“No”

Finally they screeched to a halt and before Spencer could blink, Elle was out of the car with her weapon drawn. He followed her a little way before she stopped.

“Do you hear that?” she whispered. Spencer was still for a moment, all he could hear was the sound of his own breathing and the breeze rustling through the leaves. Then, as he strained to hear, he caught a soft hum somewhere in the distance.

“What is that?” he mouthed. Elle shrugged, a wide grin spreading on her face. She ran ahead, leaving Spencer with a cold sense of déjà vu as he chased after her. Elle was agile over the uneven ground, never slowing down or losing her footing. Spencer in comparison scrambled along, half afraid he was going to break an ankle or trip and go flying.

“Elle?” She had disappeared again. Spencer stumbled through the woods, squinting in the darkness until a savage blow slammed into the side of his head. The darkness was peppered with spots of light as he righted himself.

“You couldn’t just leave well alone could you?” Sheriff Archer spat before disappearing. Spencer struggled to his feet, nausea rolling over him. As he spun around to try and get his bearings.

Elle meanwhile had charged ahead, stopping only when a scream erupted into the night. She broke into a sprint, pulling her gun from its holster and skidded to a stop by the Sheriff.

“You knew it was Nathan all along,” said Elle

“Drop the gun”

“I heard a scream” As if on cue another one rang out “How long are you going to let this happen?”

The Sheriff raised his rifle at the exact same moment Elle threw herself forward pushing up so the shot was sent ringing out above their heads.

Somewhere in the darkness, startled by the shot, Spencer stumbled towards the sound as his heart raced.

The Sheriff lurched backwards and Elle took her chance to burst through the trees into a clearing.

Nathan Harris stood in there bathed in light, surrounded by a vortex that whipped the leaves around him like a tornado. His shirt was off and Elle could make out two puncture marks, same as the other victims, on his lower back.  Lila lay in his arms, unconscious and he was offering her upwards like a prize. Like a sacrifice. The hum was so loud that it was almost silent, Elle couldn’t even hear her own voice and she tried to shout for Nathan to stop…whatever the hell it was he was doing. Sheriff Archer appeared beside her, begging and pleading with Nathan.

The wind grew wilder and for a moment it looked like Nathan would be swept away. Elle shielded her eyes and tried to make out the source of the light above them.

She felt movement behind her and he spun around to see Dr Harris, a look of horror plastered across her face. Dr Harris tried to charge forward but Sheriff Archer caught her. She struggled against him like a wild animal, screaming something Elle couldn’t make out but he held firm. Finally Dr Harris slumped down, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.

The noise and the light grew fiercer and fear until they couldn’t see or hear anything and then…

They were standing in the woods. The soft breeze had picked up again and the leaves rustled around them but it wasn't strong enough to sweep them away. It was dark but Elle’s eyes had no trouble readjusting, it was like it had never been light at all.

“Mom?”

Nathan blinked, confusion clouding his features. At his feet Lila stirred, pushing herself up sluggishly. Her legs were shaking but she stood up straight.

“Daddy?”

“Lila” the Sheriff threw himself down and pulled his daughter into a hug. Dr Harris reached for Nathan like she couldn’t quite believe he was there.

“Elle?” Spencer pushed through the branches, the nasty cut on his forehead oozing blood “What happened? I saw a light”

Elle gestured to the group, unable to find the words. Spencer looked at the four of them in disbelief and then turned back to Elle.

“Nathan’s puncture marks are gone” she said, more to herself than Spencer. The sky above them was nothing but stars, there was no spacecraft, no remnants of otherworldly visitors, just a great endless void.

“Are you okay?” Spencer asked her quietly. Between reuniting two families, four dead children and losing the only proof she had of a conspiracy, Elle didn’t know how to answer that.

*

Nathan was transported to FBI headquarters later that day an interrogated for hour and hours. His story never changed. He could vaguely remember the accident and then everything after that was blackouts interspersed with short periods when he was given orders to abduct classmates and take them into the woods.

“They were taking them to the testing place” he explained “They ran tests on all of us”

Nathan ran his fingers along the bridge of his nose, a faraway look in his eye.

“They put something in my head” Nathan whimpered, “I thought if I did what they asked they would stop but they didn’t. I’m afraid”

“Afraid of what?” the agent asked.

“I’m afraid they’ll come back”

No matter how much the agents questioned him, no matter how much they probed and picked apart his story Nathan never wavered.

Elle stood behind the glass watching the whole thing, arms folded and mouth set into a grim line. She rebuffed all of Spencer’s offers of coffee and pleas to take a break.

“All the hard evidence is gone,” she said, shaking her head “Nathan’s testimony is all we have”

“It isn’t enough Elle” Spencer said gently. Elle didn’t reply, she just kept her eyes fixed on the interrogation room and eventually Spencer left her to it and went to complete his report.

Honestly he wasn’t quite sure what to write. There were things that had happened in Oregon that hadn’t exactly shattered his belief in the rational order of things but it had shaken it a bit. Spencer couldn’t explain how Nathan had been able to slip in and out of his coma, what psychological condition had compelled him to bring his friends to the forest and, most troubling of all, how the victims had died. If there was one thing that Spencer disliked above everything else it was not knowing, and the unknown permeated every aspect of this case.

Sitting in front of Aaron Hotchner again, Spencer fiddled with his hands in his lap, stony faced.

“This report is…highly irregular,” the Unit Chief said “Much of what you saw, or indeed didn’t see, can’t be substantiated”

“This case was highly irregular,” countered Spencer. Behind him the other man shifted. If Spencer had turned around he would have seen him shoot Hotchner a pointed look.

“I’m aware that there is a lack of physical evidence to corroborate a lot of my findings,” said Spencer “We were sabotaged. The fire at the lab burnt away almost all the evidence except this” He produced a small vial with what looked like a tiny metal capsule inside and placed it in front of Agent Hotchner on his desk. The other man stared at it and for a moment Spencer thought he looked…afraid? Concerned? He wasn’t sure. “Nathan Harris said that the people who took him put something in his head. I had some scans done and this was in his nasal cavity. The material it’s made out of cannot be identified”

“What do you propose we do with this?” asked Agent Hotchner, his voice steady.

“With all due respect Sir a crime was committed” said Spencer “It should be sent for further tests, analysed and the results kept on file”

“Agent Greenaway - what are her thoughts?” Agent Hotchner asked Spencer. Spencer paused, such a huge answer for such a small question.

“Agent Greenaway believes we are not alone.”

*

The man rolled the vial back and forth between his fingers, descending further into the vault. He had plucked it from Hotch’s desk without a word after Agent Reid had left.

Reid and Greenaway could prove to be a problem and he wasn’t entirely confident that putting them together wouldn't do more harm than good for the cause.

Eventually he found what he was looking for, a small non-descript lock box and the vial was slotted inside, hopefully never to be seen again.

He smiled as he exited the vault, the door swinging shut behind him with that familiar sign:

 

**"In Case Of Fire Or Emergency / Know Your Exits / PENTAGON / Evacuation Procedure."**

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my stuff feel free to come by my tumblr [Illegal Cerebral ](https://illegalcerebral.tumblr.com) . I am always up for a chat!


End file.
